Cold case investigators identified the remains as Jill Maiorca and arrested her former husband in connection with her 2006 killing.
BIG BEAR LAKE, CA — Human remains discovered years ago in a crawlspace beneath a Southern California mountain home have been identified as a woman reported missing in 2007, leading authorities to arrest her former husband in connection with her death nearly two decades ago.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department identified the woman as Jill Maiorca, who was 29 when investigators say she was killed in November 2006. Her former husband, 53-year-old Jeff Maiorca of Big Bear, was arrested Sept. 21, 2026, and booked in connection with her killing. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and have not publicly disclosed what evidence ultimately led detectives to identify him as a suspect.
The case traces back to Oct. 28, 2020, when deputies from the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station responded to a home in the 39000 block of Forest Road. A person at the residence had contacted authorities after making what the Sheriff’s Department described as a suspicious discovery in a crawlspace beneath the house. Deputies and Big Bear Fire Department personnel searched the area and found unidentified human remains. Authorities later said the remains had been concealed beneath the residence without the homeowner’s knowledge.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Department’s homicide detail took over the investigation. An autopsy determined that the death was a homicide, according to the department. Investigators initially could not determine who the victim was, despite DNA testing and other investigative efforts. With no identification, the case remained unsolved for years.
The investigation changed in 2023, when the Sheriff’s Cold Case Homicide Team assumed responsibility for the case and submitted the remains for additional investigative DNA analysis. The later work identified the remains as those of Jill Maiorca. Detectives then learned she had been reported missing from Big Bear Lake in 2007, about a year after investigators now believe she was killed.
Authorities have not publicly explained why Maiorca was not reported missing until 2007 or disclosed who filed the missing-person report. Investigators also have not detailed how her remains came to be beneath the Forest Road residence or said whether she was killed at that property. The Sheriff’s Department said evidence developed during the investigation indicates she was killed in November 2006 and that her remains were subsequently concealed beneath the home.
As detectives continued working the case, they identified Jeff Maiorca as a suspect, the Sheriff’s Department said. He was taken into custody without incident on Sept. 21 and booked at the Big Bear Jail. The department announced the arrest as part of its continuing cold case homicide investigation. An arrest or criminal charge is an allegation, and guilt must be determined through the court process.
Publicly released information leaves several major questions unanswered. Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive or described the evidence they say connects Jeff Maiorca to Jill Maiorca’s death. They also have not provided details about the circumstances of the killing or explained how the remains could have remained beneath the residence for years without the homeowner knowing they were there.
The identification marks a major turn in a case that stretched across two decades. Investigators believe Jill Maiorca was killed in 2006, she was reported missing the following year, and her remains went undiscovered until 2020. Even after they were recovered, initial testing failed to identify her. The cold case team’s later DNA work finally connected the remains to the missing Big Bear Lake woman, allowing detectives to revisit her disappearance as a homicide investigation with a known victim.
The Sheriff’s Department said the investigation remains active. Detectives Malcolm Page and Sgt. Justin Giles of the Specialized Investigations Division’s Homicide Detail are handling information related to Jill Maiorca’s disappearance and death as authorities continue examining the circumstances surrounding the nearly 20-year-old case.
Author note: Last updated Sept. 25, 2026.